Chapter Text
The cold night stretched out before him, pinpricked with tiny stars. Distant city lights glittered across the land, a sea of warmth beyond his grasp. The stone of the balcony ledge felt cool beneath him and he shivered as the wind blew through the thin cotton of his T-shirt. The Akabane house stood tall, overlooking the city from a haughty position on the hill. Karma loved overlooking the houses below, bustling with a life he could never know.
One year, 36 days and 2 hours.
It'd been that long since he'd seen his parents. They still paid the bills and added money to his bank account. He knew he should be grateful. He had a large house, plenty of money and a whole host of classmates. He didn't need parents. He hated them anyway.
He hated the way they were brisk with their goodbyes, a tentative pat on his shoulder and loose promises of soon returns. He hated the way his mother's eyes could never meet his own and his father's smiles were never directed at him. Hell, their last letter had been months again, and even then the writing was forced and distant, like a first-time pen pal.
He sighed, his breath clouding the night air. The tendrils of steam rose up, fading into the darkness. Karma stood up, casting one last longing glance to the families in the distance before turning back inside. It was no warmer in than it was out. He kept the house quiet and dark, wallowing in his own loneliness. The only part of the house lit with any colour was the kitchen, where he spent most of his time. Disused pots and pans hung from a wrack on the ceiling, and a warm light washed across the marble counters. He'd taken to that part of this house, because it seemed to be the only room that wasn't painfully empty. His own bedroom, fit for king-sized beds and gaming consoles and stacks of books, was practically barren. The dining room had collected dust for months, the table littered with the stubs of candles from last tense family dinner. His parents' bedroom hadn't seen the light of day either and Karma was sure it needed a good cleaning.
A wood-stove crackled in the corner of the kitchen, cheerful and comforting all at once. He hadn't bothered to turn the main light on, so only the dancing orange of the flames drove away the hostile shadows.
Being left alone for a majority of his life had made him a surprisingly good cook, but in no means an eager one. Some nights he couldn't drag himself up long enough to even boil some pasta, so he went hungry. Tonight was no exception to that fatigue. Nothing especially bad had happened that day, but the sinking feeling wrought up by the blank face of the house had dispelled any appetite he had left. The clock in the corner ticked, punctuating each second with a reminder of how late it was. The sun had long set and midnight was on the horizon.
He sunk onto a stool at the counter in the centre of the room. Orange and red danced across the marbled surface. His forehead prickled with an overwhelming heat and he frowned, brushing a useless hand against the offending region. God, it'd be just his luck to get sick while so alone. A nauseating feeling swept over him and he pressed a hand to his mouth. He was freezing and boiling all at once. Shaking his head to try (and fail) to clear it, he head upstairs but the steps swarmed before him. He only just made it to the landing before falling to his knees, breathing harshly. Shit. What the hell was going on? He'd been feeling lousy all day but had just chalked it up to his lack of sleep the night before.
Pushing his hair back from his eyes, he stood back up unsteadily. The journey to his room was longer than it'd ever been, and he finally collapsed onto his bed with a sigh. He hadn't bothered to get changed, simply lying on the covers with his afternoon clothes clinging to his sweaty skin. School started early and bright the following morning, and he should have ideally been asleep hours ago. Tiredly setting an alarm on his phone, he crawled under the covers and willed himself to sleep the fever away.
~
He woke in exhausted hazes throughout the night, bleary and panicked. At one point he was sure he'd stumbled to the bathroom and expelled any contents his stomach had left. When he woke properly, a cold light illuminated his room in shades of grey.
Checking his phone, a dread chilled his bones. 12:13. School had started hours ago. He shouldn't have been so worried; he'd been late a handful of times throughout the year, and no one even batted an eye at him strolling into class halfway through lessons. So why did he feel so god damn panicked? His heart was racing and his hair stuck to his forehead. It took longer than he wanted to focus on his surroundings.
Letting a curse slip, he slid his legs out from under the duvet. It felt immediately as if his feet had been dipped into an ice bath but that wasn't surprising, considering how cold the house always seemed to be. He stumbled towards the bathroom. Shivers wracked his hands as he fumbled with the shower knob, and he couldn't decide between cold water to cool his raging fever or warm water to soothe his shivering limbs. Settling at lukewarm, he let the water run down his sickly frame, mingling with the sweat-soaked hair. Drying himself had never been such a chore, let alone buttoning his shirt.
Ideally he would stay home all day, but that would spark a flurry simply being late wouldn't. The office might call home, demanding answers from his parents and berating them for not informing them of his absence. There had already been several voicemails complaining of his tendency to rock up late. His parents had barely returned in time to have a conference with his previous teacher about Karma's habits. And they'd only been away for a few months prior. With no sign of their return, Karma did not need Karasuma poking around his home life.
The walk to school felt longer than usual, the cold nipping his feverish skin through the jacket he hastily shrugged on. Wind whipping through his hair, he reached the foot of the mountain home to 3-E and, with a heaved sigh, began the trek up. The frozen ground crunched beneath his unsteady footsteps and his breathing was laboured long before the wooden building came into view. Light spilled out the classroom windows and he could almost hear Korosensei's nasal voice guiding the class through maths. He ducked through the woods, willing none of his classmates to spot him slouching towards the building just yet.
Mission success. He got to the door with no curious eyes peering out the frosted windows. Pushing against the rough wood, it slid open quietly and he stepped in. The cold seemed to follow him, pressing up against his bones. He wouldn't have been surprised to see ice spilling over the edges of his shoes, with how numb his feet were.
"Nice of you to finally join us," drawled a low voice. Karma's eyes trailed up to meet Karasuma, arms crossed and brow pulled taut.
"Sensei," Karma returned coolly.
"Look, Karma, you can't keep skiving school like this-"
"Give it a rest," he cut Karasuma off. The older man sighed, his dark eyes lingering on Karma's downturned face for longer than the boy wanted.
"Get to class," Karasuma ordered, running a hand down his tired face. Karma, for once in his life, did as he was told and traversed down the corridor, even as the walls swayed beside him. The door to 3-E leered above him and he took a deep breath, using his sleeve to rub the sweat from his face, before pushing open the door. Few glances were spared for his late arrival and he slid into his seat. Korosensei's beady eyes briefly trailed to him and Karma could almost see the teacher noting all the irregularities about his appearance. Thankfully the creature kept his mouth shut and carried on teaching.
Karma's attention was fleeting and he found himself with his head rested in the crook of his elbow, leaning on his desk and playing around with a pencil. The students ahead of him were dutifully taking notes, though Nagisa and Sugino glanced up and at him every so often. He was certain he wasn't that obviously sick, but was well aware his cheeks were slightly flushed. Korosensei's gaze was hard to pinpoint, but Karma had the tell-tale sensation of someone watching him intently.
The bell for lunch rang out, grating his ears. Students scurried off in their various directions, bento boxes clutched in hungry hands. Karma pushed himself up, feeling the solid wood of the desk beneath his cold palms. He moved towards the door slowly, only to be stopped by a towering figure.
"Are you okay, Karma? You have been at school for an hour with no attempt on my life!" Korosensei's animated voice only made the pounding in his head worse.
"I'm fine, teach. Thought you needed a break," Karma smirked. Korosensei, if possible, looked affronted.
"I am in perfect condition to resist any of your assassination attempts, Karma-"
"Yeah, yeah," Karma replied, breezing past without a backwards glanced. He hoped that conversation had been smooth enough to cease the creature's incessant worrying. He disappeared into the woods, snow crunching beneath his feet and glistening branches hanging overhead.
~
Irina's dull English lesson followed after lunch, a full hour of her droning mindlessly in accented English. Karma, head rested in his palm, was half asleep by the time the final bell rung. He could barely remember the lessons that had rushed by in a blur of colour and voices and papers. As he walked down the mountain, Nagisa ran up behind him, bubbling about some new bookstore on his street. Sugino occupied his other side, bouncing between Nagisa's excitement and his own at the prospect of a baseball match the following week. Karma was silent, content to loose himself in their happy buzz.
"Karma? Karma!" Sugino's gentle tone snapped him back into reality. He blinked, meeting Sugino's worried gaze.
"Huh, yeah?" Karma replied.
"I was asking if you wanted to go to that corner café with us this weekend?" Sugino repeated himself. Nagisa's blue eyes were also trained on Karma's pale complexion and the taller male shifted uneasily.
"Sorry guys, I have stuff to do," Karma declined the offer and waved them goodbye as they parted ways. Nagisa and Sugino continued towards the bustling city below while Karma trudged towards the lonely doors of his house. His gaze remained on the back of their heads for longer than usual before he turned away to slide the key in the door and enter the house. His hands shook despite having been shoved in his pockets for most of the walk home and as soon as his shoes were kicked off, his feet ached to be beside a warm fire. Making his way to the kitchen, Karma failed to turn on any lights. He knew it would only pain his eyes.
He had the full intention to actually eat something once he arrived, but the contents of the fridge seemed wholly unappetising. The cupboards, however, bore mild success as he discovered a box of cereal. An entirely unconventional, but surprisingly comforting meal to eat in the depths of one's room, which is where he retreated to after exhaustion started weighing him down again.
And god was he exhausted.
~
When he woke, it was dark. He was still in his school clothes and his covers had been tossed on the floor at some point during the night. A box of cereal lay next to him on the mattress. And he couldn't breathe. Or rather he could, but in short, pained gasps. It felt like his chest was restricting, trying to crush his lungs and snap his ribs. An instinctual fear curdled in his stomach, rising to his throat as he grasped at it, begging himself to breathe deeper. Just as his chest loosened, a bout of nausea flooded through him and he sprang to his feet, stumbling through the darkness threatening to dominate his vision. He only just pushed through the bathroom threshold, flicking on the light, before he was violently sick down the toilet. He heaved even when there was nothing left in his stomach.
Sweat dripped of the edge of his nose when he'd finished, and he wrapped trembling arms around his midsection. Curling up on the bathroom floor, he brought his knees to his chest and sobbed.
~
The next few hours flashed by in a series of aches and pains. His head throbbed beyond imagination and his neck was stiff, twinging in pain whenever he shifted it. At some point, the bathroom lights had become too much for him and he'd just managed to turn them off, but lacked the energy to crawl back to his bedroom. He lay on the bathroom floor in the dark, chest heaving and cheeks wet with shameful tears.
Karma wasn't used to feeling this vulnerable.
He should call for help. But did he really want any of his teachers or classmates seeing him in this state? What time was it anyway? Should he call an ambulance? Was he just being overdramatic? His phone was somewhere in the depths of his covers, and he didn't have the mental or physical capacity to go rooting through them. But after another round of dry-heaving into the toilet bowl and falling to the floor gasping, Karma decided with a dreadful certainty that he needed help. He crawled out into the corridor, body screaming in protest as he did so and reached for the landline. His flailing hand brushed against it, sending it falling onto the wooden floorboards. Much to his relief, the device didn't shatter. He didn't have any of his classmates' or teachers' numbers saved on here, so an ambulance was the only way to go. With shaking fingers, he dialled the three numbers and let it ring.
"119, what is your emergency?" An operator's serious voice flooded the darkened hallway.
"I need help," his voice was barely above a whisper.
"Ok, sir, what seems to be the problem?" The operator asked.
"I just- feel really unwell, I'm probably being stupid but-" He leant against the wall, knees pulled up to his chest and head rested against the wall.
"Can you tell me your address?" She asked calmly.
Karma recited his address listlessly, voice wavering.
"Paramedics are on their way. Better safe than sorry, yeah?" The operator's voice softened. "How old are you?"
"14," he replied.
"Can you tell me more about what's going on?"
"I woke up and was sick, and uh my head really hurts. I'm really warm but my hands are freezing and I can't really breathe properly-"
"Is there an adult home with you?" The dreaded question.
"No," Karma sighed, shifting awkwardly. "My parents are, um, working."
"Okay, the paramedics are almost there," she informed him. "Is the front door unlocked?"
"No, but I don't think I can get there," Karma whispered.
"That's okay, but they will have to kick it down," she said sympathetically.
"Okay..." he trailed off, and his eyes slid shut. He tried to focus on a steady rhythm of breaths, but his chest stuttered unevenly.
"You still with me? What's your name?" Her worried voice broke his concentration.
"Karma," he croaked. His throat burned from throwing up earlier.
"Okay, Karma, the paramedics should be with you any minute," the operator soothed. As if on cue, blue and red lights started illuminating the hallway from outside and the deafening cry of sirens suffocated the air.
"They're outside," Karma whispered.
"That's good, just stay on the line with me until they get to you," she replied. A crash sounded downstairs, and he could only assume that the paramedics had kicked the door down. Two sets of footsteps thundered up the stairs and soon the hall lights flickered on. He winced back from the light source as two figures approached him. Two male paramedics clad in uniform blue kneeled before him, setting a stretcher down a few feet back.
The first man- 'Yuto' as he introduced himself- gently took hold of Karma's chin with a gloved hand and tilted his head upwards. He then, much to Karma's dismay, shone a flashlight in the boy's tired eyes. Karma instinctively flinched, trying the bury his head in his shoulder but the older man's grip was firm.
"You're alright, son. Just bear it a while longer," Yuto murmured, before finally relenting his assault on Karma's eyes. The other man- 'Akio'- confirmed with the operator that they'd arrived and hung up. He rustled through a medical bag and soon pulled out what Karma recognised to be a blood pressure cuff.
"Okay kid, I'm just going to take your blood pressure," Akio said, tightening the cuff around Karma's upper arm. He could barely muster the energy to respond with a nod.
The two paramedics exchanged worried glances and Yuto placed a thermometer in the boy's mouth. His temperature was off the charts.
"Son, do you have any medical conditions?" Yuto asked.
"No," Karma responded wearily. His chest stuttered, lungs fighting to draw air in.
"Okay, you're okay son," Yuto said as Akio pulled an oxygen mask over Karma's face. He took another breath and felt some of the pressure loosen in his chest, lungs expanding with more air than they had in the past several hours. A cool hand was placed behind his aching neck as the two men gently manoeuvred him onto the stretcher. The yellow plastic was hard and uncomfortable beneath his back and he turned his face away from the overhead lights, even as his neck throbbed mercilessly.
"We're gonna get you out of here now, kid," Akio said, taking the head of the stretcher while Yuto took the back end. An overwhelming dizziness struck Karma as he was lifted into the air and the ceiling spun above him. The tears from earlier carved a warm path down his pale cheeks like a shameful tattoo. Yuto and Akio were so kind and gentle, but were they actually laughing over his head right now? He barely registered anything as they moved from inside to outside, only the dizzying switch in temperature. He could hear more voices, a police radio chattering and the intertwined howl of sirens. Why were the police here? Probably because the door had to be kicked in and that left the house open to burglary. That or they were concerned at his apparent lack of a responsible guardian.
He was loaded into an ambulance, wincing as the bumps jostled his aching neck. Yuto left him with Akio to drive and soon they were speeding down the road towards the city hospital. A pinprick in his arm told him Akio had inserted an IV, since Karma was so dehydrated. Ice packs were placed by his sides in a fruitless effort to bring his temperature down. He was restless, fidgeting and crying out. Akio grasped one of his sweaty palms, the other hand occupied with fixing up an IV drip. Karma could barely see through the tears threatening to spill over. His mind was too clouded to even comprehend being embarrassed.
"Hold on, kid."
Even Akio's cool tone seemed taut right now.
A sharp, burning pain shot through his muscles and it felt like his head was going to explode. He distantly felt Akio's gloved hands braced on his shoulders, his voice humming empty reassurances. When the agony resided slightly, his limbs were left shaking and head pounding. Akio's voice faded back into focus.
"You're okay, just hold on a while longer."
But Karma couldn't. His eyes begged to be shut, his body pleaded to just let go.
"Don't you dare close those eyes, kid."
He couldn't hold on. The spiralling colours faded into nothing as Akio shouted.
~
When Karma faded into consciousness again, he was being wheeled through a corridor. Everything was so bright. Circles of light flashed by, illuminating pale blue walls. The bed beneath him was softer but there was so many people above him. Beside him. Panicked voices, hurried footsteps.
He felt so small, so vulnerable.
Metal railings trapped him in the bed. Someone grasped his hand.
"Male, 14, suffered a seizure approximately 4 minutes ago, suspected meningitis."
Was that about him?
Weren't you supposed to get vaccinated for meningitis as a baby?
Would his mum have bothered?
Mum..
"C'mon kid, don't do this to us."
~
Pain.
He ached.
He forced his eyes open, preparing for an assault of bright lights. Much to his relief, a single bedside lamp lit the room in dim tones. An oxygen mask still covered his nose and mouth but breathing felt so much easier now. His eyes trailed to the IV stand next to his bed, where several drips of antibiotics and fluids were hung. Lips dry and throat parched, he wanted nothing more than a cup of cool water. The white sheets below him were surprisingly comfy however and the pillows were plush, so he saw no overwhelming need to get up. It took him longer than wanted to realise what had happened.
Running a hand through his hair, the locks were surprisingly soft and dry. He'd expected it to be damp and sweat-riddled. Someone must've washed it. That or his fever got so high they had to dump him in an ice bath.
Looking down, he saw he was dressed in a flimsy hospital gown. The thought of being changed while unconscious made him burn up. His lower half was covered with a honey-yellow blanket and it wasn't overbearingly warm. In fact, he almost felt cold. He seemed to be in an isolated room instead of a ward, something he was grateful for considering he must look a state right now. Pale, trembling and sullen.
Blinds were pulled down at the window overlooking the nurses' station- or what he at least expected to be a nurses' station. However, the door was propped open and the stark light from outside spilled in. A figure stepped in, dressed in sage scrubs. A man, around 40, with wavy brown hair.
"You're awake," the doctor smiled. "Gave us a real scare there."
Karma didn't know what to say.
"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked, unfaltering.
"Sore," Karma responded. God, his voice was wrecked.
"I bet," the doctor replied with a sympathetic smile. "I'm Dr Sugo, and I just have a few questions to ask you, if that's okay?"
Karma nodded, sitting up and pulling his knees to his chest. The oxygen mask felt foreign and uncomfortable on his face.
"We've identified you as Karma Akabane, is that correct?" Dr Sugo asked.
"Yeah," the teenager replied.
"And your parents are abroad working. How long have they been away?"
"A while."
"Karma, I'm going to need more concise answers than that," Dr Sugo sighed. "We can't get in contact with them and you need an adult with you."
"I dunno, a year or something," Karma mumbled. "I don't know where they are and they change their phone numbers a lot. I might be able to contact them-"
"I'll ask a police officer to bring your phone here, then," Dr Sugo flashed another smile.
"Why are the police involved?"
"Why do you think, Karma?" Dr Sugo moved forward, sitting at the foot of Karma's bed and fixing him with a pitiful gaze. "You almost died, kid. You were, and still are suffering from meningitis, something that could've been caught a lot earlier if a guardian had been in the house."
"I manage fine by myself," Karma protested.
"You did the right thing calling for help," Sugo admitted. "But it would've been better to catch it sooner. No one should have to suffer through something like this alone."
Karma couldn't respond.
"Is there anyone who we could call in the mean time? A grandparent, aunt, uncle? Even a teacher?" Sugo enquired. Karma didn't know any of his extended family but he certainly knew his teachers. Korosensei was out of the question and Irina would kick up a massive fuss and tease him for weeks after. That left Karasuma. Karma was in no hurry to wake up that man at god knows what hour in the morning, but he didn't know how long he could manage in a hospital with no familiar faces. And if any teacher would be sensitive about his current vulnerability, it would be Karasuma.
"I-uh, Taodami Karasuma. He's one of my teachers," Karma began. "I'm not sure of his number."
"We'll look through the Japanese phone registry," Sugo reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Get some rest, kid."
Karma nodded, leaning back into his pillows as the door closed behind the doctor.
~
When he woke, much less disorientated, the oxygen mask had been removed and replaced with a nasal cannula. And he was not alone.
"Back with us?" Karasuma asked. Karma's bleary eyes trailed towards the man, who was leaning back in a plastic hospital chair. His hair was dishevelled and it looked like he'd thrown on his clothes in a rush; blue shirt and inconspicuous trousers.
"Yeah, uh, sorry to wake you up," Karma muttered. The clock in the corner of the room read 5 am. Karasuma sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Don't apologise, kid. Though if I hadn't been woken up by the news of your near-death, that would've been nice," Karasuma smiled wryly. A moment of silence. "Your parents are real assholes, you know?"
Karma's head jerked up in surprise.
"I've had some experience in the field of shitty parents myself," Karasuma went on. "Kid, next time you feel mildly unwell you come to me, right? Or Irina. Or even Korosensei."
"I-" Karma began. "Okay. But what's gonna happen about my parents and stuff?"
"Honestly, they shouldn't have left you alone without a guardian," Karasuma sniffed. "They could face legal consequences and you certainly won't be left in their 'care' any longer."
"Where am I..."
"Gonna go?" Karasuma finished. "Nowhere, for the minute. You need rest. We'll discuss it later." With that, the man stood and left the room briskly, leaving Karma watching his retreating back. The teenager sank back into his pillows, but he wasn't tired yet. His head was throbbing too badly to even attempt sleep. Peering through the blinds, he could see Karasuma discussing something with Dr Sugo out of earshot.
His throat itched and a sharp cough tore itself from his mouth. He stifled it with the blanket and rolled over onto his side, his back to the window. Whatever was going to happen to him could wait until he wasn't feeling like a truck had run him over. Twice. The door creaked open again and heavier footsteps approached the bed.
"Karma?" He rolled over with a sigh, facing Dr Sugo. The man towered over him and Karma felt tiny once again. "How's your head?"
"It's kinda sore," Karma admitted after a pause.
"Right, we can give you more pain relief," Sugo replied, scribbling something on a clipboard. "I'm slightly worried about the swelling around your brain. That's what caused your seizure in the ambulance."
"It's not gonna happen again is it?" Karma asked. He couldn't conceal the note of fear in his voice.
"It's unlikely with the antibiotics, but we will monitor the swelling carefully," Dr Sugo clipped the board onto the end of the bed and moved to Karma's other side to adjust the painkiller dosage. "You just call me if the pain gets any worse?"
"Okay," Karma replied, eyeing the red call button on the edge of the bed. Dr Sugo smiled, leaning over to ruffle Karma's hair before leaving the room. Karma felt strangely vulnerable when he was alone again, desperate for a comfort he hadn't craved in years. Curling up under the blankets, he lost himself to sleep once again.
~
The beeping woke him up.
There was a hand in his hair, smoothing the locks back from his forehead. And he felt unbearably hot.
"You're okay kid, your temperature just started rising again," Karasuma?
"W-what time is it?" He choked out, voice scratching against his throat.
"One in the afternoon. You slept for ages," Karasuma replied.
"I'm just going to give you some medication to lower the fever," Dr Sugo. When did he get here?
"Okay…" Karma's tongue felt heavy. Voices murmured above him, hushed and urgent. The hand remained in his hair. Lights spun above him. He lost the train of the conversation.
"He's taken a turn for the worst."
It felt like he was underwater.
"Wha- surely there's something more we can do."
Two men. Who were they?
"It was caught quite late. Meningitis does unfortunately kill many teenagers."
No. No, he didn't want to die.
"Karma's not gonna give up like this."
What about Nagisa? Sugino? Korosensei?
"We still can't contact his parents."
Not like they'd come back. Not even if he was dying.
"The school's supposed to have the up-to-date contacts. My colleague isn't having any luck though."
School? Colleague? Karasuma?
Someone was grasping his sweaty hand in a scalding grip. Another hand was still buried in his hair. Heavy footsteps retreated.
"Please don't do this, kid."
~
The nausea woke him up next, sending him hurtling into a painful fit of retching. Some quick-thinking soul had shoved a bin under his chin, and was rubbing a soothing hand down his back. His throat burned. It reached the point where he was simply heaving up stomach acid; he hadn't eaten a decent meal in hours.
"Just get it all up, you're okay," soothed a low voice. It must be Karasuma. Karma blinked, awareness returning to him in tiny snatches. The room was mostly dark, easy on his tired eyes. That darkness was interrupted by the door sliding open, casting artificial light across the room. Dr Sugo's tall form entered and the shadows played across his face, highlighting a deep frown.
"He was sick," Karasuma explained and Sugo nodded. A nurse slipped in, grabbing the bin before disappearing again. He was grateful for her discreetness, but flushed nonetheless, breath coming out in short wheezes. Sugo moved forwards, pulling the oxygen mask over Karma's face again. The doctor ran a tired hand through his dishevelled hair, pulling out a flashlight from his scrub pocket. Gripping Karma's chin as the paramedic had done, he flashed the light in Karma's eyes and the boy recoiled yet again.
"He seems a bit more aware," Sugo announced, drawing back. "Do you know where you are?"
"The hospital," Karma croaked.
"Good," Sugo murmured. "Who am I?"
"Dr Sugo," Karma responded shakily.
"Okay, good lad," Sugo turned away and laid a hand on Karasuma's shoulder. "His chances are looking a bit better now."
Karasuma seemed to deflate with relief. "Thanks, doctor."
"I'd keep an eye on his breathing though," Sugo said. "Call me if it gets any worse, okay?"
"Will do," Karasuma nodded, glancing over at Karma. The two men nodded at each other and Sugo left with a smile at the teenager. Karasuma's dark eyes were trained on Karma's as he sat on the edge of the bed, carefully avoiding Karma's blanket-covered legs. "How you feeling, kid?"
"Like shit," Karma mumbled. A smile twitched at Karasuma's lips as he fumbled in his pocket.
"Got your phone while you were out," the older man explained, handing the device over.
"How long was I out-?" Karma asked carefully, setting his phone on the mattress next to him. He was almost scared of the answer.
"Since your temperature started rising again, you've been pretty out of it," Karasuma began. "So roughly nine hours?"
"So, it's what 10pm?" Karma yawned. The oxygen mask steamed up as he did so. He moved a pale hand to take it off, but his teacher's larger hand caught his in a gentle grip.
"You need that. It's 10:23," Karasuma replied.
"Sorry for keeping you here," Karma shifted uncomfortably, pulling his hand from Karasuma's and settling it by his side. He reoccupied his position from earlier, knees drawn to his wheezing chest.
"Don't apologise kid," Karasuma's face twisted in a concern he wasn't used to seeing there. "We're just lucky Korosensei didn't barge in."
Karma chuckled lightly and Karasuma grinned in the dark. "Or Bitch-sensei."
Karasuma didn't even wince at the nickname anymore. "Get some sleep Karma," he said, standing and ruffling the boy's hair again. Gee, Karma really had to start keeping count of the times he had been told to get rest. Once Karasuma left the room, he sank backwards into the pillows, fingers fumbling for his phone. Blue light flooded the room as he entered his pin, feeling a burst of gratitude when he realised someone had charged it up for him. There were several missed calls from Nagisa, and he hoped to dear God it was just the bluenette trying to drag him out to the weekend café and that he didn't know about Karma's sickness. The last thing he needed was the incessant worrying of a close friend; it was bad enough that the teachers knew, let alone his classmates.
He hated the way he felt disappointed at the lack of calls from his parents.
Did they even know he'd almost died?
His finger hovered over his dad's number. If anything, he was more likely to pick up than his mother.
"Screw it," he whispered as the ringtone filled the room, pulling away the oxygen mask. He was grateful that Karasuma had only left the door a small gap open. The receiver clicked and his dad's voice rung out, loud and abrasive.
"Who is this?" The man demanded.
"Karma," the teenager replied, hating how weak his voice sounded.
"Karma, you know how busy I am-" Akabane's voice softened- only the tiniest bit- at his son's shaky tone. "I've got clients piling up, a crashed computer and-"
"Dad, I'm in hospital," Karma confessed. He heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.
"I-, Karma, neither your mother or I can fly back right now," Akabane sighed. "What's going on?"
"Meningitis," Karma replied, voice impossibly quiet.
"What?" Akabane snapped. "That damn woman didn't get you vaccinated?"
"I don't know," Karma's voice wobbled.
"Look, just get the hospital to email us your release forms or something," Akabane sounded exasperated. "I trust you can manage the rest?"
"Yeah," Karma replied. He paused, and then "Dad, do you know when you'll be back?"
"Oh Karma, give it a rest!" Akabane's tone lost any gentle note. "You're a grown boy now, you don't need to whine to your parents every time you're sick."
"Dad-"
"For God's sake Karma!" Akabane shouted. "You're suffocating. Cry for your mother or something, but she's probably too drunk out her mind to hear you."
With that, he hung up.
Karma was left in the dark, phone balanced precociously in his hand and eyes watering. His dad's harsh words echoed in his head, suffocating any rational thought. But he wasn't just sick. He almost died because his mother hated him so much she couldn't bare to spend 20 extra minutes with him to get him a life-saving vaccine. A smothered sob caught in his throat, and he clutched the blanket in two balled fists, facing away from the door.
Where did he go wrong?
Why was he so fundamentally evil that his own mother couldn't look at him?
~
"Karma?" Someone sat on the bed next to his curled form. They placed a hand on his shaking shoulder, warm and calloused. Karasuma. Karma sniffed, burying his head further into his arms and ignoring the man next to him. Karasuma sighed gently as he rubbed the teenager's arm.
Karma's damp face burned with shame as another tear trailed down his cheek, soaking the pillow below. Keeping his back to Karasuma, he brought one hand to rub at his eyes.
They stayed like that for several minutes, enveloped in a comforting darkness. Karasuma's reassuring touch didn't cease, not until Karma's tears did. When his face was moderately dry, Karma shifted into a sitting position, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. Glancing towards the older man, he was surprised to see no judgement in his dark eyes.
"It was your dad, wasn't it?" Phrased like a question, said like a statement. Karma nodded mutely and Karasuma smiled sympathetically. Somewhat awkwardly, Karasuma pulled the boy in close and Karma buried his face in the older man's shoulder. It was tentative, wholly unnatural, but so so warm. Karasuma's careful fingers ran through Karma's soft hair and he found solace in the steady heartbeat that had been so weak earlier.
Karma's arms were wrapped tightly around Karasuma. It'd been so long since he'd hugged someone like this. So long since someone had seen past his harsh exterior, since someone had found the boy crying for someone to care.
Maybe it was irrational, desperate even, but in that moment he felt entirely safe.
For in that moment, right then, Karasuma swore he'd protect that boy with his life.